The Community Guide

c/bbq-pitmasters

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jana_lewis16•12h ago

Why does nobody talk about soaking wood chunks in apple juice?

I tried soaking my hickory chunks in apple juice for 3 hours before a brisket cook last Sunday in Austin, and the smoke flavor came out way sweeter and more even than dry wood ever gave me. My buddies all said it was a waste of time, but the bark had this mild fruity kick that I couldn't stop eating. Has anyone else experimented with liquid soaks, or do you stick to dry wood every time?

17

skylerw87•1d ago

First brisket flat that actually held up on my WSM, 14 hours in

Been fighting dry flats for like 6 years on my 18 inch Weber Smokey Mountain. Yesterday I tried wrapping in butcher paper at 165 instead of foil, and pulled it at 203 after a 2 hour rest in a cooler. The slices actually stayed together when I cut them, no crumble mess. Anyone else notice paper beats foil for flat retention, or was my old foil game just sloppy?

4

fisher.taylor•7d ago

TIL the right wood mix can cut your cook time by 45 minutes

I was messing around with my offset smoker last weekend and tried a 70/30 blend of oak and pecan instead of my usual straight hickory. Honestly, I read about it in a Franklin BBQ forum thread from 2019 where some old pitmaster swore by lighter woods for better heat transfer. Ngl, I was skeptical, but the brisket hit 203 degrees almost 45 minutes faster than my normal 12 hour run. The bark came out darker too, which I didn't expect since pecan burns cleaner. Has anyone else messed with wood ratios to speed up a cook without drying out the meat?

22

perez.thea•11d ago

Took me 3 years to figure out why my brisket stall was so long

Turns out I was opening the smoker every 20 minutes to peek and losing all the heat. Last month at a comp in Austin, a judge casually asked if I was 'running a bread box' and it just clicked. Anyone else kill their stall by watching too much?

1

brooke_walker23•16d ago

My buddy's brisket advice proved me wrong last Saturday

I always thought wrapping in butcher paper was overrated, but my friend Mike insisted I try it at his pit in Tulsa, and the bark stayed way better than my foil method. Has anyone else had a similar flip on technique after watching someone else's cook?

19

anthony_jackson•17d ago

My $40 rib cook turned into a 9 hour smokehouse disaster in Tulsa

Last Saturday I loaded my WSM at 6 AM with two racks of St. Louis ribs, figured a simple 5 hour cook, easy. By noon the temp gauge was stuck at 190 and I started panic checking the vents, turns out my bottom door gasket was shot and I was bleeding smoke like crazy. I patched it with a wet towel and foil but the ribs stalled at 160 for almost 3 hours, so dinner got pushed to 9 PM. When I finally pulled them, they were actually decent, but I burned through 18 briquettes more than normal and my neighbors kept asking if I was cooking meth. Has anyone else had a gasket fail mid-cook and have to MacGyver it, or am I the only one who keeps a bath towel in the garage for emergencies?

0

rubybarnes•18d ago

An old timer in Memphis showed me his brisket trick with a hotel pan

I was at a competition in Memphis last fall, just walking the pits and talking to folks. One guy, must have been 70, was tending a brisket that looked like glass. I asked how he kept the bark so clean and he just pointed at a hotel pan with a few inches of water in it, sitting under the grate. Said he's been doing that for 30 years, no spritzing, no wrapping until the stall. I tried it on my next cook at home and the moisture evened out better than anything I've done with apple juice. Has anyone else messed with a water pan under the meat instead of spritzing?

0

the_dylan•19d ago

That moment my brisket decided to stall at 3 AM, still salty about it

Tbh, I got so caught up in the party prep that I forgot to watch my fire temps on the WSM. Around 3 AM at my buddy's place near Austin, the temp dropped to 190 and the bark turned into this tacky mess. I panicked, wrapped it in butcher paper and shoved it in the oven to force it through. It finished okay, but the texture was off, not the flat-out fail I feared, just disappointing. My question is, how do you all handle a middle-of-the-night stall when you're exhausted and the guests are coming at noon? Is there a trick I'm missing besides just staying awake?

8

the_wren•22d ago

Dropped $180 on a fancy injector, got watery meat instead of flavor

I bought a high-end dual-needle injector from a BBQ supply shop in Austin, figured it would beat my plastic syringe from the dollar store. Followed the instructions to the letter with a vinegar-based marinade, and the brisket came out soggy with the seasoning pooling in one spot. Has anyone else had better luck with these expensive rigs, or is a cheap syringe just as good if you know the trick?

14

foster.oscar•23d ago

The 14th brisket finally made me see what the old timers meant

Hit my 14th brisket on a beat up offset in my buddy's backyard in Tulsa and it was the first one where I didn't poke or peek once, the bark just set right and it sliced like butter, so what number did your cooks finally start clicking for you?

9

adams.troy•25d ago

Chose lump charcoal over briquettes for a brisket, big difference in cleanup

Did a 14 pound brisket last Saturday using lump for the first time after 4 years of briquettes. Lump ran way hotter than I expected, had to dial the vents back almost half way on my 22 inch Weber. Ash was way lighter and less to scoop out the next morning, which was nice. But the burn was uneven in spots, had a few flare ups around the edges. Anyone else switch and feel like they had to relearn their whole temp game?

15

cameron_palmer•26d ago

The day I stopped wrapping pork butts in foil at 2am

Been doing overnights on a 22 inch WSM for a few years now. Last Saturday I ran two 8 pound butts and decided to skip the foil wrap completely, just let them ride unwrapped for 12 hours at 250. The bark came out way crunchier and the meat held moisture better than any foil wrap I've done. I'm talking night and day difference in the texture on the exterior. The stall took an extra 90 minutes to push through, but the payoff was worth it. Anyone else ditch the wrap on long cooks and stick with it, or did you go back to foil once the time crunch hit?

13

angela_kelly•29d ago

Talked with my uncle about his old pit barrel, changed how I season mine

My uncle came over last Saturday and saw me scrubbing my drum smoker clean with a wire brush. He laughed and said his 20 year old barrel has never seen a brush, just a putty knife and elbow grease. He told me that crust is what gives the meat that deep flavor, and I've been chasing it with rubs all wrong. Now I'm thinking about leaving the buildup alone except for the worst spots... has anyone else stopped cleaning their pit and noticed a difference in taste?

23

grant901•1mo ago

I finally figured out why my brisket stall was taking 3 extra hours

Ngl, I kept wrapping my briskets in pink butcher paper right when they hit 160 degrees and they'd stall forever. Turns out I wasn't letting the fat render enough before wrapping, so the paper trapped all that moisture. Anyone else struggle with wrapping at the wrong time?

5

martinez.karen•1mo ago

Hit 1000 lbs of brisket in 3 months and it broke my brain a little

I never kept track before, but last weekend I totaled up my receipts and realized I've put 1035 lbs of brisket through my smoker since March. That's like 25 whole packers at around 40 lbs each. I just thought I was having fun on weekends but now I'm staring at my propane bill like whoa. Has anyone else accidentally turned their hobby into a part time gig without noticing?

2

hart.taylor•1mo ago

That conversation with my uncle Larry changed how I trim brisket

My uncle Larry has been competing in Kansas City for like 15 years and I always thought he was just old school stubborn. Last weekend he said I was leaving too much fat on the point and wasting flavor. He told me to trim it down to a quarter inch even on the flat and I gotta say my last two cooks came out way more tender. Has anybody else had a family member call them out on something basic that totally flipped your process?

6

miller.eva•1mo ago

Appreciation post: how I changed my approach to wrapping brisket

I used to wrap my brisket in foil as soon as the bark looked dark, usually around the 6 hour mark. But after watching a few comp videos from some pitmasters I follow, I switched to butcher paper about 8 months ago. Now I wait until the internal temp hits around 170 to 175 before wrapping, which gives the bark way more time to set. The difference in the final texture is huge, the paper lets it breathe while still keeping it moist. I also started adding a little beef tallow to the wrap, something I never did before. That single change made my last three briskets come out way more tender and flavorful. Has anyone else made a switch like that and noticed a big difference? What temp do you guys usually wrap at?

9

cameronwest•1mo ago

Took me 2 years to realize I was overcooking brisket flat every time

I ran into a problem where the point would come out perfect but the flat was always dry and crumbly. I blamed the meat quality, my offset smoker, even the wood I was using. Finally spent a Saturday tracking temps every 30 minutes with a proper probe setup. Found out I was pulling the brisket at 203 instead of letting it ride to 210 on the point. That extra 7 degrees and a 2 hour rest changed everything. Anyone else have a similar discovery after way too much frustration?

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harris.aaron•1mo ago

That fancy $300 thermometer I bought gave me false readings for 6 months before I figured out it just needed a battery swap.

After 6 months of dry brisket I finally realized the temp was off by 20 degrees from day one, any of you ever had a pricey gadget let you down that bad?

5

matthew703•1mo ago

Cooking brisket at 275 instead of 225 gave me better results in half the time

I always heard you gotta go low and slow, 225 for 12+ hours. Tried a packer brisket last month at 275 just to see what would happen. Bark came out way better and it was done in 7 hours. Still juicy and tender. Anyone else ditch the low temp gospel?

16

emma_smith•1mo ago

Tried the snake method on a pork shoulder and it came out dry

Everyone swears by the snake method for charcoal grills, but I ran a 225 degree cook on my Weber kettle for 8 hours last weekend and that shoulder came out bone dry. What's the trick I'm missing here, or does the snake method just not work for bigger cuts with more fat?

12

lee.casey•1mo ago

My offset smoker cracked right down the middle during a 12 hour cook last Saturday

Had a brisket and two pork shoulders going for a family gathering. About 7 hours in I heard this loud ping sound and saw a hairline crack running from the firebox up the side of the cooking chamber. By the time I pulled the meat the crack was wide enough to see daylight through. Lost about 50 degrees of heat and the brisket stalled hard. Finished everything in the oven just to save the meat. Cooker is a 5 year old Oklahoma Joe that I thought was built tough. Anyone else have a firebox or chamber weld give out mid cook? What did you do to patch it or did you just scrap it?

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the_vera•1mo ago

Passed 1,000 briskets this past weekend without even keeping count

I hit a clean 1,000 briskets cooked on my backyard offset smoker this weekend. I never bothered to track it until a buddy asked how many I thought I'd done over the last 6 years. I started jotting down numbers on a notepad and it added up way faster than I expected. That first brisket I attempted was a dry, tough mess that cost me $65 and a whole day of babysitting the fire. Now I can pretty much tell by feel when the bark is set and when to wrap. It surprised me how much small refinements added up over time, like keeping my firebox damper cracked just a hair more in winter. Has anyone else looked back at a big number like that and realized how far you've come without noticing?

29

logan263•1mo ago

Had to pick between brisket and pork shoulder for a backyard party Saturday

My buddy asked me to smoke meat for his kid's birthday party last weekend. I was torn between doing a brisket or two pork shoulders. Went with the pork shoulders cause they're cheaper and harder to mess up. Fed like 30 people for around $50 and everyone was happy. Any of you ever choose one over the other for a crowd and regret it?

12

stone.troy•1mo ago

Had an old pitmaster show me his pork butt method yesterday

I was at a comp in Kansas City last weekend and this guy in his 70s let me watch his whole setup. He uses a cheap offset smoker with a foil pan water setup, nothing fancy. Anyone else ever had a veteran pitmaster change how you think about the basics?